Hear No Evil
by Goddess33
Summary: Kagome makes a little mistake, and Inu-Yasha must now seek help from an unlikely source.
1. Hear No Evil

Hear No Evil

**

"Damn, damn, damn!" 

Kagome cursed as she ran around her room frantically, tossing the clothes she wanted to pack toward the bed. She was going to be so late. Inu-Yasha _hated_ it when she was late. She'd planned to leave an hour ago, but her homework had proved to be more difficult than she'd expected. She couldn't ignore her schoolwork just because she had to go save the world from demons and other nasties, could she? 

But now if she didn't make it down the well _soon_, Inu-Yasha would get impatient and come to get her. Kagome did not want to try explaining to people why a boy with dog-ears toting a sword was wandering around the streets looking for her.  

One of these days, she was going to have to teach Inu-Yasha to be inconspicuous. 

"Yeah right…" she muttered to herself, stuffing the change of clothes into her bag. "A dog boy wearing bright red is so easily unnoticed…" 

Kagome finished cramming her bag full, glancing around the room one last time to see if there was anything she'd forgotten. A small silver whistle on her desk caught her eye; something her brother had given her as a joke. A dog whistle. Kagome smiled. Maybe Inu-Yasha would like it? 

She grabbed the little whistle, stuffing it into one of the pockets of her backpack, running out the door and praying Inu-Yasha wouldn't be too mad at her. 

**

"You're late," Inu-Yasha informed her, reaching down to help pull Kagome out of the ancient well. "What took you so long _this_ time?"

"Homework," Kagome grumbled. "I came as soon as I could. Where are the others?"

Inu-Yasha waved absently toward the village, not ever really interested in Kagome at the moment. His interest had been caught by a butterfly perched on a blade of grass, and he was trying to stalk the little winged creature. Kagome smiled faintly. Despite all his faults, Inu-Yasha was and probably always would be just an over-grown puppy. 

Which reminded her…

"Hey, Inu-Yasha! I brought you a present!" Kagome said.

The little butterfly fluttered its wings and flew away. Inu-Yasha blinked and made a leap for his "prey," just barely missing catching the little winged insect. Light glistening off its brightly colored wings, the butterfly flew to safety.

"Kagome, you scared it away!" Inu-Yasha accused her.

"What are you chasing butterflies for, anyway?" Kagome asked. 

Inu-Yasha blinked at her, as if needing a reason for his actions hadn't occurred to him yet. "Because… I… want to?" 

Kagome laughed, setting down her bag to dig through its contents. "Here, I brought something you might like." She pulled out the little silver whistle.

Inu-Yasha blinked at it. "What is it?" 

"A dog whistle," Kagome said with a smile.

"A ­_dog whistle_?" Inu-Yasha said, a little indignant. "I'm _not_ a dog!"

"You're a dog _demon_, partially, anyway," Kagome said. "Dog whistles are used to call pets. It's got a high frequency that only dogs can hear. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah, whatever." Inu-Yasha didn't seem too thrilled. 

Kagome pouted. _She_ thought it was neat. Maybe he'd be more inclined to agree if she gave a demonstration. She blew a long, high note on the little whistle.

Though she couldn't hear the sound it made, Inu-Yasha apparently could. He yelped, clapping his hands over his dog ears, growling at Kagome and swiping the whistle away from her. Farther off, in the village, Kagome could hear other dogs barking, having heard the sound too.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Inu-Yasha yelled at her, tossing the little whistle down the well. "THAT HURT!" 

Kagome shrank back from his fury. "Sorry! I didn't mean to…"

Inu-Yasha blinked at her. Her mouth had moved, but no sound came out. Had he scared her that badly?

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked. He only looked at her oddly. She tried speaking a little louder. "INU-YASHA?"

Inu-Yasha was starting to get nervous. "You're not making any sounds…" he said, his own voice a little louder than usual. But he couldn't hear that, either. "_I'm _not making any sounds! _I can't hear anything!_"

By now he was yelling so loudly, probably everyone for a mile in any direction could hear him. Everyone but Inu-Yasha, that was. Because Inu-Yasha had gone deaf. 


	2. Signs

Signs

**

To put it mildly, Inu-Yasha was not happy. He'd been unhappy for a good hour now, and had been shouting nearly that long. Luckily for him, he was the only one that didn't have to hear it. His companions were starting to envy his recent bout of deafness. 

"He sure shouts loudly for someone who can't even hear himself think," Miroku commented. 

Kagome glared at him. "Miroku! That's an awful thing to say." 

Miroku didn't much feel like being polite though. Inu-Yasha's complaining was giving him a headache. "I know you feel bad for causing this, but if you don't shut him up soon, we're _all_ going to go deaf. Just tell him to sit already and get it over with." 

"Think that'd work?" Sango asked. "He can't even hear the command." 

"I'll have to try…" Kagome said. She did feel bad though. Surely Inu-Yasha was entitled to a little complaining. He did just lose his hearing, due to her carelessness. Still… "Sit!"

THUD!

"Owww!" Inu-Yasha grumbled as he pulled himself up from the ground. Though he hadn't heard the 'sit', the reaction it caused was proof enough that it'd been said. 

He wanted to shout at Kagome and demand to know why she'd done that, but what was the point? He wouldn't be able to hear her reply. So he just glared at her. She glared back at him, putting her finger to her lips in a gesture for him to be quiet. 

His eyes widened at the gesture, recognizing its meaning. "Hey, do that again!"

She blinked at him. He wanted her to do what again? "What, 'sit'?"

THUD!

"Not that!" he shouted at her, pulling himself back up and grumbling. Sure, he couldn't hear himself talk, but it felt good shouting anyway. To relieve tension, anyway. 

"I think he means the gesture," Sango said, making the 'be quiet' gesture in demonstration. Inu-Yasha nodded eagerly. 

"Like sign language!" Kagome cried, excited. 

She dug through her pack for a moment, pulling out a notebook and pencil. She made a gesture to imitate twitching dog ears, and wrote 'dog' on the paper, showing it to Inu-Yasha. He blinked at her, copying the gesture. Kagome nodded, her next gesture imitating someone aggressively showing their claws, writing 'demon' on the paper. Inu-Yasha copied that sign too.

Then Kagome did both signs together, 'dog' and 'demon'. On the paper she wrote, "Inu-Yasha." Inu-Yasha copied the gestures, then pointed to himself, looking at her questioningly. Kagome nodded. Grinning, Inu-Yasha repeated the two signs together. They'd just made hand gestures to represent his name. 

Inu-Yasha grabbed the notebook from her, inventing new signs and explaining them to his companions in the same way, gesturing then writing down the meaning. After inventing the hand signs for 'annoying' and 'human', he combined the two signs and wrote, 'Kagome' on the paper. 

Kagome glared at him, making a sign like something falling hard onto the ground. "Sit!"

THUD!

Inu-Yasha glared at her, but Kagome was pleased to see he understood the meaning of that hand signal just fine. 

**

Kagome was exhausted. And her hands were starting to hurt. Since they'd started inventing hand signals with which to talk with Inu-Yasha, he'd become obsessed. It seemed he wouldn't be satisfied until he could "talk" fluently again. 

He'd created hundreds of hand signs already, insisting on Kagome at least learning every single one. Miroku and Sango learned some of them, enough to at least understand what Inu-Yasha was trying to express, but after that they'd just gotten tired of the constant gesturing.  

Kagome had finally taken a short trip through the well and back again, bringing with her a few sign language dictionaries, which Inu-Yasha had taken to memorize. His perseverance may have been born of the desperate need to communicate, but it was admiral, all the same. Kagome just wished she didn't have to be so involved in it. Inu-Yasha had made her his official translator. And even using hand signs, Inu-Yasha talked fast. 

When Inu-Yasha had first lost his hearing, everyone had been hoping the condition would be temporary. But days passed, and he didn't seem to get any better. It was starting to look like Inu-Yasha might be deaf permanently. 


	3. Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

**

"Well," Kaede said, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling, "I'm afraid I don't know of anything that would help restore Inu-Yasha's hearing. I've never known a half-demon to go deaf before." 

Kagome frowned, her hands moving fluidly as she translated for Inu-Yasha. They'd found the sign language to be much quicker and easier than having to write everything they wanted to say, and Inu-Yasha had quit bothering to talk aloud, since he could never tell how loud or quietly he was talking. Too often he'd ended up yelling, and aside from hurting his companion's ears, it could attract unwanted attention. 

"Isn't there anything?" Shippô asked, sitting beside Kagome. "No spells, or… or… even something from your time, Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head. "I thought about taking Inu-Yasha to a vet, but how would I explain a boy with dog ears to them? They'd want to take him for medical study." 

"You know…" Miroku spoke up, "there was something I heard once that might help. If it exists, that is. There was a legend about a mountain on which twin snake demons lived. If anyone could defeat the two in battle, they'd be granted any wish they wanted. Of course, it's only a legend…" 

Inu-Yasha got excited when Kagome translated for him. "That's perfect!" he signed. "Two snake demons, is that all? That would be easy!" 

"It's not quite that simple," Kaede said. "I've heard that legend as well, and there's more to it than that. Not one person can face the twins; it must be two to challenge them. And not any two, but brothers. It must be two brothers against the twin snakes. That's why I didn't mention it before."  

"Inu-Yasha has a brother…" Sango said slowly.

"Sesshoumaru?" Inu-Yasha signed. The hand gesture for his brother's name was the combination of the "jerk" and "dog turd" signs. Inu-Yasha had made it up himself. "Forget it, there's no way he'd help."

"You know they're not exactly on good terms," Miroku sighed. "We'll have to think of something else."   

"It's our best bet so far, though…" Kagome said. "We should at least check it out, to see if the legend is true. There's got to be a way of getting Sesshoumaru to help out; it's his brother, after all."

**

Sesshoumaru paused in a clearing, trying to decide on a direction to go, and waiting for his little toady Jaken to catch up. It had been nearly a week since he'd heard the weird sound, but he was still curious as to its origins. 

It had been the weirdest thing, like a whistle, so high pitched it had made his ears ring. The sound had come from miles away, and Sesshoumaru could only be glad he'd not been closer to whatever it was that had made the sound. But he wanted to know where the sound had come from, and if it could be of use to him sometime. If it had hurt _his_ ears from so far away, he could only imagine what it could do to his little half-demon brother. The thought was amusing, and worth looking into.  

"Where are we going?" the little toady Jaken whined as he scurried to catch up to his master. "We've been walking for days!"

"I heard something," was Sesshoumaru's only explanation, as he determined what direction the sound had originated in, and continued on.  


	4. Stay

Sit. Stay. Good dog. 

**

Inu-Yasha sat on one of the roofs of the village houses, looking out over the forest and beyond. There were a lot of mountains these fabled snake demons could be living in, he wondered how they were supposed to find the right one. Of course, it wouldn't even matter if they couldn't get his brother to help. Having to rely on Sesshoumaru was not something Inu-Yasha had ever wanted or expected to do. 

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome wandered the village looking for him, finally catching sight of him sitting on the roof. She tossed a few pebbles up at him to catch his attention. 

"Ow!" Inu-Yasha grumbled and rubbed at his forehead where one of the pebbles hit him, glaring down at Kagome and signing, "What?" 

"We're all packed and ready to go," Kagome signed up at him. "Ready to go find Sesshoumaru?"

"Don't bother," Inu-Yasha signed, hopping down off the roof casually. "I can smell him from here. He's close." 

"Oh…" Kagome smiled weakly, signing, "Well, saves us the trip at least. Maybe he heard the whistle too and is coming to see what the noise was about. If we're lucky, maybe he went deaf too."

"When have we ever been lucky?"

Kagome sighed. "Good point." 

"Does Kaede think this plan will work?" Inu-Yasha signed, frowning. He had his own doubts about this plan, but it was better than anything else they'd come up with.

"No," Kagome signed back. "Ready to go try it out?" 

"No. But we'll try it anyway." Inu-Yasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and followed his brother's scent toward the woods. Kagome gathered her supplies and sprinted after him.      

**

"Why are we stopping, Master Sesshoumaru?" Jaken asked, blinking up at his master in confusion when they stopped in a clearing. This whole journey seemed pretty weird to him, but if it was what Sesshoumaru wanted… 

Sesshoumaru didn't bother answering. The wind had changed directions, and from here he could smell… "…Inu-Yasha. He's nearby." 

Jaken back up a few steps nervously. "Should we go a different direction?" 

"No… If Inu-Yasha wishes a confrontation, he shall get one." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed a little as one of the bushes nearby rustled. "Nice try, but I know you're there, Inu-Yasha." 

From where they were hiding and waiting in the bushes, Kagome nudged Inu-Yasha forward. He barely spared her a glance to see her "go on" signal, before stepping out into the clearing to face his brother. If the plan worked, he wouldn't really have to defeat Sesshoumaru. Just… stall him a bit. 

Sesshoumaru said something to him, and though Inu-Yasha couldn't tell what it was, from the look on his brother's face he assumed it was an insult. Inu-Yasha resisted the urge to insult him back; after all he was holding his sword, and he couldn't use his more elaborate hand signals with only one hand. He made a mental note to modify them later. But for now…

Inu-Yasha leapt at his brother, sword raised high to cleave Sesshoumaru in two. Easily Sesshoumaru leapt to a safer place; he'd always been somewhat faster. Something was different about the way Inu-Yasha was fighting. He was a little clumsier when Sesshoumaru attacked from behind, as if… he couldn't hear the blow coming. 

And not once did Inu-Yasha speak. Sesshoumaru wondered on that as they exchanged attacks and counter attacks. What had changed in his brother? 

And where were Inu-Yasha's little mortal companions? Dodging one of Inu-Yasha's blows, Sesshoumaru leapt to a better vantage point. Ah, there they were. Hiding in the bushes like cowards, it seemed. What was it the little girl was holding?

Kagome clutched a string of prayer beads; similar to the strand Inu-Yasha wore around his neck. She chanted the priestess spell the way Kaede had taught her, only hoping it would work, and be strong enough to hold the demon it was meant for. In her hands she could feel the beads heat up, infused with the power she gave them, and with a burst of light the powerful spell flew from her hands, the beads wrapping around Sesshoumaru's neck.

And it only needed one final touch; the word of binding. "STAY!"   

THUD!

"I did it!" Kagome squealed, hopping up and down in excitement. "I actually did it!"

Inu-Yasha sheathed his sword, walking over to where his brother lay belly down on the ground. He didn't even try holding back his snickers. It really _was_ kind of funny when it wasn't happening to him.

"What is this?!" Sesshoumaru demanded, trying to lift himself up off the ground. But the spell on him worked differently than Inu-Yasha's; Sesshoumaru's hands would not come unstuck from the ground. He was well and truly caught. "What did you do?" 

"It's a spell for catching demons," Kagome said. "Sort of… something to insure you don't kill us while we try to talk to you. Don't bother trying to remove the beads; only I can do that." She spotted Jaken trying to sneak away, and pointed to him, signing to Inu-Yasha, "Get him!"

Inu-Yasha glanced at the toady man, and stepped on him, effectively halting the little creature's escape. He signed something back to Kagome. She rolled her eyes, and translated to Sesshoumaru, "Inu-Yasha says you get used to being slammed flat on your stomach while I'm around."

"What do you mean, 'Inu-Yasha says'?" Sesshoumaru demanded, still trying to pull his hands free from where they were planted to the ground. "Why doesn't he say it himself? And let me up already!" 

"Okay, but remember, I can do that to you again if you try anything funny," Kagome said. She sighed, and said the release word. "Heel." 

Sesshoumaru's hands came free of the ground, and he scrambled to his feet, regretfully finding there was no dignified way of doing so. He rubbed his hands slightly, for once at somewhat of a loss. "Now. Explain."

"Well…" Kagome sighed, "…it kind of goes like this…" 


	5. Through the Night

Through the Night

**

"So let me see if I understand this," Sesshoumaru muttered, sounding almost bored, after he'd listened to the whole tale. "You made Inu-Yasha go deaf, and now you need my help to find a pair of snakes in a mountain, even though you have no idea which mountain. Why should I do a thing like that?" 

Kagome frowned. Sure, she'd expected him to be cranky, what with the whole 'stay' business. But she had thought her little spell would have been more incentive to help, not less. She had promised to remove it when Inu-Yasha regained his hearing. 

"You should do a thing like that because otherwise, Kagome is going to 'stay' you to death," Miroku commented mildly. "I've seen what she does to Inu-Yasha on occasion."

"I'm afraid you're very much mistaken if you think this human priestess' spell is going to hold me for long," said Sesshoumaru. "Simply because Inu-Yasha is too weak to escape his bonds, doesn't mean I fall to the same low standards."

"You tell 'em, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken said proudly. He then yelped as Sango roughly shook the little wooden cage that had been built to hold Sesshoumaru's lackey. 

"Is that really your decision?" Kagome asked. "You really won't help us, Sesshoumaru?" 

"I thought that was obvious," Sesshoumaru said. "No, I really won't."

"Pity." Kagome stood up, gesturing for her companions to follow her. "Guess we'll just have to find some other method of curing Inu-Yasha's deafness." She paused and smiled at Sesshoumaru. "We'll be camping nearby; if you change your mind, just shout. Stay!" 

THUD! 

"Hey! That's not fair!" Jaken shouted after them as Sango set his cage down a short distance from where Sesshoumaru was indignantly stuck to the ground. "You can't just leave us here!"

"Sure we can," Shippô called back to them. "Unless, of course, you change your mind. But if you don't, it's okay. Have a nice night!"  

Inu-Yasha was the last to leave the small clearing. He stood and watched his brother for a long moment, his unreadable gaze locked with his brother's glare. Then silently, he followed his companions to where they were setting up their camp within shouting distance. The way he understood it, if Sesshoumaru hadn't agreed by morning, they'd have to come up with something else.

And anything would be better than having to try and travel companionably with his brother. 

Sesshoumaru sighed, resigning himself to spending the night belly down on the forest floor. No way was he going to call to that _human _girl to let him up. The indignity of it all was bad enough already. Besides, they'd probably let him up in the morning one way or another, and then he could be on his way. He'd find a way to remove the spell that bound him, and then he'd return and kill them all. It was a good plan. In the meantime…

…it was starting to get darker, and colder. And he didn't imagine sleeping like this would be particularly comfortable. 

Not too far away, Sesshoumaru could hear Inu-Yasha's companions talking and laughing, and the light filtering through the trees suggested they had a nice campfire going. Sesshoumaru shivered involuntarily; the ground they'd left him on was hard packed and cold, and as the night progressed, things only got colder. 

Sometimes he could pick up on what Kagome and the others were saying, and he found himself wondering what Inu-Yasha was thinking, being unable to hear anything his companions were saying. Kagome had demonstrated how Inu-Yasha communicated now, with odd rapid hand movement gestures, but Sesshoumaru had just thought the silent language looked silly. Imagine, being reduced to that… 

Eventually the light from the campfire went out, and the voices hushed as people went to bed. Curled in his cage, Jaken was starting to snore. Sesshoumaru couldn't sleep though, and he listened to the sounds of the forest he'd taken for granted so many times, and wondered if Inu-Yasha missed them. 

He started shivering again. It was cold out here, and he was covered in dirt and there were bugs crawling on him. And he still couldn't unstuck his hands from the ground to even brush them away. 

Something moved in the bushes, and Sesshoumaru was instantly alert. Inu-Yasha moved into the clearing, carrying a worn but still serviceable blanket. Sesshoumaru watched in confusion as Inu-Yasha covered him with it.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru whispered.

Of course he got no response from his deaf brother, and Inu-Yasha turned and walked back to his own campsite. Warm now but bewildered, it took Sesshoumaru a little while before finally falling asleep.  


	6. Tangles

This chapter I dedicate to Mick. Because I think he might appreciate it. 

Tangles

**

It had been a long night, and not an entirely comfortable one. Though the blanket that Inu-Yasha had draped over him had helped immensely, spending another night sleeping face down on hard ground was something Sesshoumaru planned to never do again. It wasn't only unpleasant; it was _embarrassing_. 

But being unable to move gave Sesshoumaru a lot of time to just think about things. And at last, he decided he would accompany his brother and his annoying companions on this quest to find the twin snake demons. The irritating girl Kagome had said that whoever beat the snake demons were entitled to a wish. And who said Inu-Yasha would get to be the one to make that wish. Maybe Sesshoumaru would take that wish instead. He knew exactly what he would wish for.

That Inu-Yasha and his annoying companions were all _dead_. 

Then again, he might not have to wait until they found the snake demons' mountain. He could kill them all himself, if he managed to get around that _stay_ business. It was all a matter of being patient. And Sesshoumaru could be patient when he chose to be. 

He figured he could make up his mind on the best way to kill them all later. From the way everyone had been talking, it may be a long trip to the snake demons' mountain. Assuming they could even find the place. So he would have time to think on it.

First things first, however. As the sun rose over the forest, Sesshoumaru could hear people moving about in Inu-Yasha's campsite. First order of business for the day was getting off the ground. 

Kagome moved into the clearing a few moments later, smiling to see Sesshoumaru exactly where she'd left him. "Have a nice night?"

"Of course," Sesshoumaru replied calmly, finding himself at a disadvantage, having to strain his neck to look up at her. "Let me up, will you?"

"You going to be a good doggy?" Kagome said pleasantly. 

_Not if you're going to call me 'doggy' again,_ Sesshoumaru thought. Out loud he said, "If you wish." 

"Now that's better!" Kagome said, smiling. "Heel!" 

Sesshoumaru's hands came unstuck from the ground, and he sat up, stretching and wincing lightly as the joints popped. He picked up the blanket Inu-Yasha had given him, not entirely certain what to do with it now. It had been… so out of character for Inu-Yasha to care for his comfort. Then again, he didn't really _know_ his brother, so who was he to say what was in character for him?

"So, is your answer still the same as last night?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru stood up, the blanket still clenched in one hand. "I've decided I will accompany you on this… quest of yours." 

"You're going to help us?" Kagome practically bounced with happiness. "Oh, I knew you'd reconsider. It's gonna be great, traveling with everyone is such fun…" 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. He didn't see what was going to be so 'fun' about it, but he'd go along with the strange human for now, until he decided on how to kill her. It would be a long trip, and accidents did happen. 

He picked up Jaken's cage (in which the toadie was still sleeping) and followed Kagome back to their camp, where everyone was packing up their stuff to get ready for the trip. Sesshoumaru looked up at where Inu-Yasha was lounging on a tree branch, then glanced at Kagome.

"Ask him why he gave me the blanket," Sesshoumaru ordered her. That little detail hadn't added up, and he wanted to know why Inu-Yasha had done it.

Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha, signing Sesshoumaru's question up to him. Inu-Yasha shrugged, jumping down from the branch, and signing something back to her and turning away.

"He says we ought to be going," Kagome murmured. "The next village might have more clues as to where to find the snake demons."

Which of course meant Inu-Yasha wanted to avoid answering the question. Well that was fine; Sesshoumaru didn't much like having to use Kagome as a translator in order to talk to his brother. Though he disliked the idea, he'd have to learn at least some of this sign language during the trip. 

The trip, for the most part, was uneventful. They visited a village, which had indeed heard of these snake demons, but had no other additional information to provide. Not even a direction they should head in. By late afternoon they were off again, through sparsely wooded forest. 

Kagome lead the party, with Sango and Miroku up front talking with her. Shippô was shortly behind, every so often pausing to inspect a brightly colored mushroom or leaf, then running again to catch up. Inu-Yasha walked behind them, for all the world looking just plain _bored_ with the travels. And Sesshoumaru was last, carrying Jaken's little cage (as no one really cared enough to let him out.) 

For a while Sesshoumaru was content to calmly plot the demise of the people walking ahead of him. But after a few hours, little things started to distract him. Like, Inu-Yasha's hair. Since Sesshoumaru was walking behind him, he really had a good view of it. Inu-Yasha really did have somewhat nice hair. But as he would have expected, it wasn't groomed; not brushed, and filled with little twigs and burrs picked up from a night spent sleeping in a tree. 

And for some reason, this really bothered Sesshoumaru. And he didn't understand the feeling at all. But still the feeling was _there_, that Inu-Yasha would look really nice if he bothered to brush his hair. 

A little into early evening, they set up camp, so they could still have a few hours of daylight left to gather firewood and provisions before night came upon them. Jaken, who had been blessedly quiet most of the day, started whining about being hungry and thirsty (and needing to pee). Resisting the urge to do something so undignified as rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru let the little toadie out of his cage. Jaken made a dash for the bushes, and everyone else found something to do in the opposite direction. 

The first thing Jaken did when he came back was raid Kagome's backpack. Kagome shrieked at him, chasing the toadie around the campsite for a few minutes while Jaken laughed and tossed her things about. Jaken threw her stuff about at random, and when he reached the bundle of Kagome's clothes, made a point of tossing the items- underwear in particular- with even wilder abandon. The others finished their tasks so they could watch Kagome pound the toadie into the ground. 

Sesshoumaru ignored Jaken's plight, instead picking up a hairbrush that had been tossed from the bag. Though he didn't recognize the plastic substance it was made of, he did understand the item's purpose. Looking around for Inu-Yasha, Sesshoumaru spotted his brother up in a tree, having chosen a nice sturdy branch to be his perch for the night.

Odd how Inu-Yasha always chose to camp in a tree. While the others were busy with tormenting Jaken, Sesshoumaru climbed up the tree. Inu-Yasha turned to blink at him in surprise when he felt the branch's slight shifting at the additional weight. His expression carefully blank, Sesshoumaru held out the hairbrush to him. He probably seemed patronizing, and he didn't bother with trying to correct that appearance. 

Inu-Yasha just stared at him, then at the brush, and with a look of distaste, he pushed Sesshoumaru's hand away. He turned his back on his brother, returning to watching the little scene on the ground. 

Well if Inu-Yasha wasn't going to make himself presentable, Sesshoumaru would do it for him. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, and he was curious now. Grabbing a handful of Inu-Yasha's hair, Sesshoumaru started to pick out the burrs, and brush the tangles out of it. Inu-Yasha turned his head to blink at his brother, but didn't object. 

There was one thing useful about Inu-Yasha being deaf. It was hard to ask for explanations, or to give them. Because Sesshoumaru really wasn't in a mood to explain himself. 

But it was nice like this, brushing out his brother's hair. Inu-Yasha's hair was soft and gleaming when it was all brushed out, and there was something wonderful about running one's fingers through it. Sesshoumaru watched Inu-Yasha's dog ears, the way they drooped just slightly in relaxation. Though Inu-Yasha hardly moved, it seemed he rather enjoyed having his hair brushed too. 

Having suitably pounded Jaken and tossed him back in his cage, Kagome looked around for Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru. She didn't hear any sword clashing so they couldn't be off fighting somewhere… 

Sango tapped Kagome on the shoulder, pointing up into the trees. "They're up there." 

Kagome was surprised to find the two sitting companionably in the tree, Inu-Yasha's eyes have lidded as Sesshoumaru brushed out his hair. "That's… odd."

"It is, isn't it?" Sango said. "But maybe it's a good thing. Even if we don't find the snake demons, some good may come of the trip anyway."  


	7. Rivals By Instinct

Rivals By Instinct

**

It was one of those hot, heavy sorts of days, the kind where the air was so thick and slow with heat that it was almost hard to breathe it. The group had come to another village that morning, and Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru waited a ways from the edge of the village, while Kagome and the others had gone to speak to the humans living there. Sango had pointed out that if they brought demons into the village, not only would they not get the information they wanted, they may have a fight on their hands. So Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha stayed behind. 

Inu-Yasha's gaze strayed to a passing butterfly, but it was too hot to bother with it, and besides that, he had to keep watch over his brother. Sesshoumaru had been acting rather non-hostile for most of the trip so far, but Inu-Yasha still didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

Actually, given the chance he probably could throw him quite a ways… but that, of course, was not the point. The point was, Sesshoumaru was a jerk at best, and evil at worst. He may be acting nice now, but he was probably just waiting until he could kill them all with minimum trouble. So Inu-Yasha had to be extra careful, because he wouldn't be able to hear the attack coming. 

Inu-Yasha hoped Sesshoumaru understood that this was the reason he was watching him. He wasn't staring because Sesshoumaru was pretty. Even though he was. Yes. Sesshoumaru was definitely pretty. But that wasn't the reason Inu-Yasha was watching him. At least, he didn't think so. 

Sesshoumaru wasn't bothering to watch his brother back, though. He sort of stared into the distance, until the little passing butterfly landed on his nose. Sesshoumaru crossed his eyes to blink at the little insect, then gently blew it away, going back to whatever he found so interesting on the horizon. He was probably just bored. 

Inu-Yasha knew that _he_ should probably be bored too. But he wasn't. He was… contented to just watch Sesshoumaru. He was okay with that. And perhaps it was that- his complete lack of being bored- that worried him the most. 

Kagome and the others trudged a little sluggishly out of the village sometime later. It was too hot to be doing any of this, they decided. This village hadn't had so much information to offer either. It seemed, however, that they'd acquired a side-trip.

"No such luck," Kagome said as she neared Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha, signing at the same time for Inu-Yasha's benefit. "They'd heard rumors from various other villages about the snake demons, but other than that, they're as clueless as the last place. But… there's a problem." 

"There's another demon living in the nearby forest," Miroku said, "that has been eating humans." 

"And let me guess," Inu-Yasha signed, frowning at Kagome. "You want us to take on this 'charity case' and go kill it or something, huh? You always _do_ this! We're never going to get anything done if we keep getting sidetracked!" 

"But it's eating humans!" Kagome signed, protesting. 

"So what?!" Inu-Yasha signed. "Demons gotta eat too! And humans happen to be very nourishing. We have our own problems that need attending to first!" 

Sesshoumaru wasn't following this conversation very well, since Kagome seemed to have forgotten to translate out loud as she argued with Inu-Yasha. But guessing from the expression on their faces, Kagome wanted to go kill the man-eating demon, and Inu-Yasha didn't. Sesshoumaru looked toward the forest, the shade of which looked fairly inviting at the moment. He wondered what sort of demon was living there. Finally he said, "…why don't we go talk to it?" 

Kagome blinked at him. "What? You mean, talk to the demon?" She made a face. "Why?" 

"A demon may know more of the existence and location of these snake demons than any human," Sesshoumaru said. _And if this demon ate humans,_ _Inu-Yasha's annoying companions would certainly be on the menu._

Kagome signed Sesshoumaru's idea to Inu-Yasha, who thought about it, then nodded decisively and headed toward the forest. If the demon could possibly _help_ them, Inu-Yasha was more willing to go looking for it. 

The coolness of the forest was welcoming. Inu-Yasha caught the scent of _demon_ almost immediately, but it was far away, and would take a little traveling to catch up with. They stopped to rest at a small stream, then picked up the demon's trail and started after it. 

It took most of the afternoon before they were even somewhat close, as most of his companions couldn't travel as fast as he could. There was something about the scent of this demon that bothered him. Some little bit of that odor was familiar. And it wasn't until they got even closer to the demon they were tracking at he figured out what that scent was. 

He paused, glancing at his brother. From the look on Sesshoumaru's face, he recognized that smell too. That odor awoke every canine instinct either of them had. They couldn't think; all they could do was _chase._

Because that smell was _cat._

Kagome and the others stared in incomprehension as both Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru took off running. They disappeared into the rapidly darkening forest, and from the startled yowl that emitted from the shadows, they'd found whatever they'd gone running after. 

_This felt right_. Sesshoumaru smiled fleetingly as he and his brother gave chase after the cat. Or cat demon, for that's what it appeared to be. It didn't matter that he and Inu-Yasha were hardly on good terms with each other; at this moment, only instinct mattered. And according to instincts, they were nothing but a pair of wild dogs, joining forces to bring down their prey. 

Inu-Yasha leapt up into the trees, speeding up ahead to cut off their prey. Sesshoumaru grinned, chasing the cat-like creature into a clearing. The cat demon skidded to a halt, seeing Inu-Yasha blocking his path, and when he turned to run back the other way, was stopped short by Sesshoumaru in his way. He was trapped, and he knew it.

Only one thing stopped Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha from leaping on him and tearing him to pieces.

"SIT! STAY!" 

_THUD!_

The cat demon jumped, startled, as his attackers slammed into the ground. Then he looked up at the girl whose commands seemed to have made them do so. 

"Honestly…" Kagome was muttering as she watched Inu-Yasha unhappily get up. "I don't know what got into you two. I thought we were going to ask him for help. Or did you forget that part?"

Inu-Yasha, not hearing any of her mutterings, just glared at her as he sat up. He didn't exactly know why he'd gone chasing after the boy either… it'd just seemed like the thing to do at the time.

The cat demon's feline tail twitched behind him as he watched the human girl. Kagome in turn watched him. He didn't look dangerous. His hair was a soft brown, sort of spiky and pulled back in a ponytail, his eyes a gleaming amber. He had animal ears like Inu-Yasha did, only feline instead of a dog's. That and the twitching tail were his only real indication of being a cat demon. 

"Hey there…" Kagome said, approaching him slowly. He _couldn't_ be the demon they were looking for, the one that ate humans. He was too cute. She held her hand out to him, to help him up. "Sorry these two chased you. My name's Kagome, and- OW!"

The cat demon had bitten into her hand, sharp teeth digging into the skin. Inu-Yasha tackled him a moment later, and the cat panicked, clawing and yowling at the dog that had him pinned.

"Well. Maybe he _is _the one eating the humans, after all," Kagome murmured to herself. She glanced down at Sesshoumaru, who by her command was still stuck to the ground. "Er. Sorry about that… Heel." 

"So what do we do about him?" Miroku asked, eyeing the cat demon still struggling in vain to escape Inu-Yasha's grip. "Aside from the biting, he's not… _so_ dangerous." 

"Whaaaa!" the little cat demon was crying. "Bad dog! Let me go! Let go!" 

"He can't hear you," Kagome said, pulling out a few bandages from her backpack to wrap her hand. "But I can make him let you go. IF you promise no more biting." 

"Fine! No more biting," the cat promised. "Just keep these damn dogs away from me!" He seemed genuinely scared of the two dog demons that had been chasing him. 

Kagome touched Inu-Yasha's shoulder, and after a moment of signed conversation between the two, she convinced him to let the cat boy go. He stood close though, watching the cat demon warily.

"So… what's your name, cat?" Kagome finally asked.

He looked at her sulkily, glancing around at everyone else that had him surrounded. "Kegan," he said.

"Kegan?" Sesshoumaru asked with a snort. "What sort of a name is that?"

"_My _name," Kegan snapped back, then cringed away from Sesshoumaru's glare. Of all of them, he avoided looking at the dogs most often.

"Are you the one eating the humans from the village?" Sango asked.

Kegan squirmed, muttering, "I only ate a _few_ of them." He glared at all of them. "What? I got hungry. It's not a crime!"

"It is among humans," Kagome said.

"Well I'm _not_ a human," Kegan retorted, wiggling his cat ears for emphasis. "Humans aren't the only creatures that matter, you know! A demon's got to _eat_. I'm not gonna die of starvation because my lunch doesn't want to be eaten!"

Kagome looked uncomfortable. "Well… I guess you have a point…" She didn't much _like_ that point, but that's just because it meant she was still considered food. She decided a change of subject was in order. "Actually, maybe you can help us with something. We're looking for two snake demons, that live on a mountain… have you heard of them?"

Kegan was nodding. "Oh yeah, I know them. Twin snake demons. They still owe me money, the cheap little bastards!" 

"Really?" Kagome asked excitedly. "Do you know where we can find them?" 

"Oh, sure. They live…" Kegan peered around, getting a sense of where they'd be in relationship to where he was, and pointing in the right direction. "…that way. Several days' walk though from here." 

"That's great!" Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha's arm and started dragging him in the direction Kegan had indicated. She didn't like the way Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru looked at Kegan like _he_ was food. "Well, we'll be going now…"

"Are we really just going to leave?" Sango asked as they started off again. "I mean, he's a demon, and he _has_ been eating humans…"

"I know, I know…" Kagome murmured. "But, he did help us out… and he did have a point. I mean… you can't blame a cat for being a cat."

"Can you blame a demon for being a demon?" Sesshoumaru asked out loud.

Kagome glanced at him, and frowned. "I'm having a hard time of it recently," she admitted. 

**

Author's note: Meant to have this chapter done earlier, really. Also, Kegan is copyrighted to me. Mine. You can visit him on my website, but anyone trying to steal him will have their heads chewed off. No touchies. Thanks.  


	8. Shadows in the Forest

Shadows in the Forest

**

Night brought a relief to the oppressive heat that had taken to following them even into the forest. The moonlight filtering through the leaves was the only light, and it wasn't much at that. Everything was calm and still, ready to turn down and sleep.

It had been a long day, and none of them even knew how much closer they were to the mountain of the snake demons. Inu-Yasha admitted to scenting the trail of a demon, but there was no way of knowing if it was the ones they sought.

"Let's face it," Sango muttered, somewhat crankily. "There are just too many demons in the world to seek out 'particular' ones, if you don't already know where they are. Maybe we should have dragged that Kegan boy along with us for a guide." 

"We're better off finding some other demon as a guide," Miroku said. "One that we don't have to worry about eating us in the night."

"I dunno," Shippô murmured sleepily. "Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru could be like guard dogs or something…"

"I think they would be as likely to eat Kegan as he to eat us," Kagome sighed. "Anyway… if it is the wrong demon we're trailing now, we can deal with it in the morning. It's been a long day, and we've earned some rest…"

The fire was put out, and everyone curled up in their respective places to sleep. The only sound after that was Sango smacking Miroku for trying to cuddle a little too close, and then all was quiet. 

Dark eyes watched from the shadows of the trees, calmly considering the little group of travelers trespassing on their territory. The one with the ears like a dog was pretty cute… maybe he would be fun to play with. 

Figures gliding from the shadows, though they were no more than shadows themselves. The darkness shaped itself into four man-like shapes, creeping around in utter silence in the dark. They had no true bodies, only dark images, no sound or scent to awaken the sleeping people.

So it was only Inu-Yasha's snarl that woke everyone, as the four figures grabbed him and started to drag him into the thick darkness of the woods. Though he clawed and kicked at them, it went right through their insubstantial bodies, not even touching them. But they somehow kept their firm grip on him, no matter how he kicked and screamed. 

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome fumbled with her bows and arrows, but each shot sailed straight through the shadowy apparitions, striking into the trees instead. The same happened with Sango's boomerang, and Miroku couldn't unleash the wind tunnel for fear of dragging Inu-Yasha into it as well. 

Sesshoumaru didn't even try to attack the things. Instead he turned to Kagome, snapping at her, "Make him sit." 

"What?" Kagome blinked at him in startled confusion.

"Say it!" Sesshoumaru ordered.

"Er…" Kagome faltered. "Sit!"

THUD!

The shadowy creatures' grips were broken as Inu-Yasha slammed into the ground. The moment he could move again, Inu-Yasha scrambled away from the creatures, his sword drawn. But the shadow people were fading away, back into the darkness, like they'd never been there at all. 

"Awww," sighed a voice from above in the trees. "You're no fun at all." A man leapt down from his perch where he'd been watching. His skin was gray, his hair black and gleaming slightly in the faint moonlight. His eyes gleamed like obsidian. Kagome wasn't sure, but she thought she saw faint white runes tattooed on the man's chest.

Inu-Yasha growled, leaping at the man. Not only did his sword go straight through the man, but Inu-Yasha stumbled slightly when his sword seemed to encounter nothing more than air, instead of the body he'd been expecting. Touching the man, Inu-Yasha's hand went clear through, as though he were nothing more than a ghost, a shadow. It was as useless attacking him as it had been the shadows.

"Who are you?" Kagome demanded. "What do you want?"

"My name's Ion," the gray-skinned man said. "I'm a shadow demon, and I just wanted a bit of fun…"

"You picked the wrong group to have a bit of fun with," Sango said, her weapon poised despite how useless it would be. 

"I dunno," said Ion. "I could always call my shadows back. This is my forest of shadows and you being here gives me right to play with you."

"You demons and your stupid logic!" Kagome yelled at him. "Just because you're big and powerful makes you think you've got the right to do anything you want. But at least Kegan's logic made sense!"

Ion blinked at her, then grinned, his smile a flash of white in the darkness. "You know Kegan?"

Kagome blinked, then held up her bandaged hand to show where Kegan had bit her. "Yeah… we just met him earlier today. What, do all you demons know each other?"

"Well, of course I know Kegan," Ion said, "he's my brother." 

"You, ahh… don't look anything like him," Miroku pointed out.

"Yeah, you two aren't even the same species," Sango said. "He's a cat and you're a… a shadow."

"Okay, so biologically he's not my brother," Ion said, in the tone of voice of someone who'd explained this many times before. "But we grew up together, he's more than just a best friend, he's… family. Hey, I don't suppose you could point me in his direction, hm? I really ought to go see him if he's in the area."

"Er, sure," Kagome said, pointing in the direction they'd come. "Hey, so long as you're here though, maybe you could help us? We're looking for the mountain of some snake demons…"

"Oh yeah, the twins? Never met them myself," Ion said, shrugging. "Heard they're quite a pair of brats though. Pranksters, when they want to be. Why you looking for them?"    

Kagome glanced at Inu-Yasha, then shook her head. "We have our reasons, but we really need to find them as soon as possible. Kegan gave us some vague directions, but we really could use some more to go on."

"It's a long ways," Ion said. "Hmmm… okay, keep going through these woods for a while, until you come to a river. Then you follow that for a while, and then it'll branch off and you'll wanna follow the right side. But I haven't gone much farther than that so that's about all I can tell you." 

"Thanks…" Kagome said, smiling. "Sorry we were in your woods…"

Ion shrugged. "No problem. Hope you find those two little troublemakers if they're the ones you're after. Still don't understand why though…" He walked into the dark of the surrounding woods, vanishing in the blackness almost instantly. 

"You know," Sango murmured, "that's really more helpful than I've ever expected a demon to be." 

Inu-Yasha grumbled, sheathing his sword and dusting off his clothes, while everyone else curled up again to sleep. He didn't really know what had just happened, though he guessed Kagome had talked the demon that had attacked him into going away. He really would have rather sliced him in half. 

Sesshoumaru was startled when Inu-Yasha, still grumbling a little to himself, sat down and curled up against his brother to go to sleep. As if it were the most natural thing to do in the world. He could hear Inu-Yasha's breathing even out as he fell asleep, completely comfortable and relaxed curled up beside his once mortal enemy.

"Well," Sesshoumaru murmured faintly, softly so as not to wake the others, "this is different." He smiled faintly as his breath on Inu-Yasha's ears made them twitch. Inu-Yasha looked so peaceful asleep. He sure wasn't like that when he was awake.

Sesshoumaru found himself thinking about something Ion had said. A cat demon and a shadow demon, so close that they were practically brothers. And here he was, with his _actual_ brother, whom he hated and had spent so much time trying to kill.

But now as he thought about it, he found himself questioning exactly why he hated Inu-Yasha. He was half human, of course, and it made him a little slower, a little more clumsy. And yet _he_ could wield the Tetsusaiga, and so far being slower and clumsier still hadn't meant Sesshoumaru could beat him. In fact they almost seemed an equal match, much as Sesshoumaru hated to admit it.

So Inu-Yasha had a tainted bloodline and was Sesshoumaru's equal despite it. And that had always been enough reason for Sesshoumaru to hate him. 

And then again, wasn't it also reason enough to admire him?

Sibling rivalry, Sesshoumaru decided, was a funny thing. And maybe, just perhaps, it was time to stop wasting so much of his life on it. 

So Sesshoumaru fell asleep, he and Inu-Yasha snuggled up together like a pair of puppies, and he dreamed of having a brother that didn't want to kill him. 


	9. Of Dogs and Dragons

Author's note: And at last, I finally get around to writing this chapter. Sorry for the delays, folks! However, there is one thing I must mention before I continue any farther. 

This story is shounen ai. Meaning, romantic love between a boy and a boy. More specifically, between brothers. Now I know this is going to send a lot of you into a rage of fiery hatred of me, and yes I'm expecting plenty of flames for this. Honestly, I don't really give a proper good damn.

So this is your only warning. If you ignore it, it's not my problem. Thank you and have a nice day.

**

Of Dogs and Dragons

***

Almost everyone was starting to get tired of this trip. It was long, it was hot, and there were too many distractions along the way. It was just little things that got in their way; minor demons of no consequence, problems at the villages they stopped in that Kagome insisted they stayed the night to help with. A few times there would even be pretty girls in the villages, in which case Miroku would also insist it was their duty to stay and sort out whatever problem it was for however long it took. 

Inu-Yasha was getting pretty sick of all of it, as he repeatedly told Kagome. Kagome would always promise it would just be this _one_ stop, then they could continue on their way. Then the moment they needed new supplies, the next village they stopped in would need their help. 

Sesshoumaru had to agree with Inu-Yasha; the delays were tiresome. Irritating as well, for more often than not Kagome would _'stay'_ him outside the village. He wasn't allowed in the villages, but they didn't want him abandoning them either. So while the others enjoyed the hospitality of the village, Sesshoumaru got to sleep outside, with only Jaken for company. Jaken was never really much for company. 

But aside from the side trips, the journey wasn't so bad on a whole. Sesshoumaru spent much of it studying the hand signal conversations between Inu-Yasha and the others. With Kagome's translations, he started to pick up some of the silent language. He never practiced when anyone could see, but after a few weeks Sesshoumaru was able to hand-sign some basic sentences. 

It was just to keep from getting bored, he assured himself. It wasn't as though he was really interested in communicating with his brother. 

At last they were getting nearer to the river that the shadow demon Ion had spoken of. Sesshoumaru could smell the scent of fresh water the closer they got to it. They were camping in the woods that night, relaxing around a campfire. They'd wasted three days at the last village, repairing the houses damaged by a demon's rampage (seven pretty girls in that village, by Miroku's count). 

Inu-Yasha was trying to scent for anything else that might be in the area; after getting nearly dragged off by Ion, he was a little more paranoid than usual. However, all he could really smell at the moment was his own stink. When was the last time he'd washed? 

He made a few quick gestures to Kagome, standing and heading into the woods toward the small pond they'd come across while looking for a campsite. Kagome nodded and returned to tending the fire. 

Sesshoumaru watched his brother leave, having not understood Inu-Yasha's rapid signals. "What did he say?"

"Hmm?" Kagome blinked at him. "He said he couldn't smell a damned thing over his own stench, and he's going to take a bath."

Sesshoumaru blinked. A bath _did_ sound like a good idea. It was so hot during the days, and dried sweat during the night was itchy and uncomfortable. Maybe when Inu-Yasha came back, he'd take a bath as well. Then again, why should he wait for however long Inu-Yasha decided to take? He stood up, ignoring the confused glances of the others, and headed in the direction his brother had gone. 

"…should we follow them?" Kagome wondered aloud after a moment. "He might try to hurt Inu-Yasha if I'm not there to stop him."

Miroku shook his head. "I don't think so. Both Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru would be pretty annoyed if they caught us spying. Inu-Yasha may not be able to smell much when he's so filthy, Sesshoumaru would smell us for sure." 

"What about Kilala?" Shippô asked, petting the little two-tailed cat-fox-creature's head. "If they smelled Kilala, they wouldn't think she was spying; Kilala is just a little animal. But she'd be good protection if Inu-Yasha needed it."

Sango nodded. "At least long enough for us to get there to help." She smiled at her little pet. "Go follow after them, okay, Kilala? And make sure Sesshoumaru doesn't hurt Inu-Yasha." 

Kilala made a soft mewl, standing up and walking into the forest after the two boys. 

**

Sesshoumaru found Inu-Yasha's glaringly bright red garments draped over a tree branch as he approached the small pond. Faint light glistened over the ripples in the water, and moments later Inu-Yasha surfaced, his gleaming wet hair sticking to his bare back and shoulders. He dunked his head back, using his fingers to scrub the dirt out of his scalp. 

And for a while Sesshoumaru just watched from the bank as the water glistened on Inu-Yasha's bare skin. His brother hadn't noticed him yet, looking perfectly content swimming and bathing in the chilled water.

Inu-Yasha ducked under the water again, swimming a short ways. Finally, just a relaxing moment away from everyone. He had to admit a lot of the time it was kind of useful to have his companions about, but sometimes he wished he could go back to the time before he'd met any of them. 

But there was hardly any getting rid of them now. It wasn't so bad all the time, and it was actually a lot easier with Sesshoumaru traveling with them. Sometimes Inu-Yasha felt left out of the group, all those softhearted humans and sweet Shippô. Always there was that dormant blood-thirst waiting just beyond Inu-Yasha's human side, and none of his companions would ever know that taste, not for a moment. It wasn't in their blood. 

But it was in Inu-Yasha's blood, and more so in Sesshoumaru's, he knew. But Sesshoumaru was always calm, always controlled. Only in the most extreme moments did he crack, and let the hunger show. Sesshoumaru too, for reasons of his own, held back his fiery inner-demon. And sometimes Inu-Yasha would allow himself a moment of envy over his brother's perfect control. 

Inu-Yasha smiled faintly as he swam toward the surface again. He and his brother may not get along, but they were more alike than either chose to admit aloud, and it was nice to have someone around that would at least understand what it was like to hide what was writhing inside. 

He took a breath of the sweet air when he came to the surface, brushing back his water-slicked hair. But in that breath was another scent, somewhat surprising Inu-Yasha. He turned around, to find Sesshoumaru standing on the shore, watching him.

Sesshoumaru tried to remember some of the hand signals he'd learned, hoping they were enough to convey his question as he signed to his brother. "May… join you?"

Inu-Yasha stared at him so long Sesshoumaru felt surely something had been lost in the translation. But then Inu-Yasha nodded, signaling that Sesshoumaru could stay, then diving back under the water, giving his brother a little privacy while he shed his clothing and hung it over the tree branch.  

Sesshoumaru shivered a little as he stepped into the cold water, walking out until it was deep enough to submerge himself completely. After he resurfaced, he started to wash out his hair, not noticing his brother watching him until Inu-Yasha reached out to touch him.

He froze, glancing down at wear Inu-Yasha's fingertips brushed over the scar tissue that encircled his upper arm, actually holding his arm on. It wasn't his arm; Inu-Yasha had cut his arm off a long time ago. Sesshoumaru had to take them off other demons, temporarily attaching a stolen arm to his own body until it finally rotted and he had to replace it again. The pain was renewed every time he had to rip the dead limb off to put another one on. 

Inu-Yasha made a gesture that Sesshoumaru didn't recognize. But he made sure to memorize it, so he could figure out what it was later. 

Realizing that Sesshoumaru hadn't understood him, Inu-Yasha tried for something else, gesturing slowly, "…wash my back?"

Sesshoumaru didn't know if the request was because Inu-Yasha trusted him not to stab him in the back, so to speak, or because some silent truce had been called in honor of the hushed, chilly night. But he moved behind his brother to comply, brushing Inu-Yasha's hair to one side so he could wash the parts of Inu-Yasha's back he hadn't been able to reach so well on his own. Partway through the washing became a slow massage, then an exploratory caress. So much damage had been inflicted on Inu-Yasha, some of it from Sesshoumaru, and yet the skin always healed flawlessly. It was… perfect.

Inu-Yasha shivered slightly as Sesshoumaru's finger trailed down his back, turning partway around to look at his brother. Sesshoumaru didn't know which was more surprised- Inu-Yasha or himself- when their lips met in a soft, fleeting kiss. 

Moments later the perfect peace was broken as Inu-Yasha shoved his brother roughly backward, water splashing everywhere as he tried to make a hasty escape to the shore. The scream of a wildcat further pierced the night, followed by a second flurry of splashes as Kilala leapt into the water, in full saber-toothed fury, between the two brothers. 

Sesshoumaru was swept back a little by the resulting current, having to watch over Kilala's shoulder as Inu-Yasha scrambled up onto the shore and grabbed his clothing off the branch. The way the saber-toothed creature blocked his way, Sesshoumaru could only guess the animal thought he'd tried to attack Inu-Yasha and had come to his little brother's rescue. 

Somewhere in the woods, Inu-Yasha's startled shriek made it clear it was not Sesshoumaru he needed protection from. The night came alive with the sounds of sudden fighting, and the sharp scent of blood. With a whoosh of giant wings, a great scaly beast leapt out of the concealment of the trees and into the sky. Sesshoumaru only caught a glimpse of the creature, but that was enough to confirm that the dragon had been the victor of the sudden scuffle, and was carrying his little brother off in its claws.

Commotion on the shore caught his attention, to where Kagome and the others were rushing from the campsite to see what the matter was. Sesshoumaru didn't even have to tell them that they were too late.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru murmured quietly, making the gesture Inu-Yasha had signed to him that he hadn't understood. "What does this mean?"

"Wh-what?" Kagome was half-hysterical. "What just happened here? Where's Inu-Yasha?"

"What does it mean?" Sesshoumaru asked again. 

Kagome blinked helplessly, absently copying the gesture. "That one? Er, that one's 'I'm sorry'…"      


	10. The Dragon's Tale

Author's note: Alright, peoples. Before I get on with the next chapter, I have one or two things that I'd like to say. The very first thing addresses the few flames that I have received. One informed me "don't, and I mean DON'T" have any more kissing scenes between Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru. Also they insisted that I "make the pairs I/Kag and so on." Now I am very sorry (well, sorta sorry) but I'm afraid that this is MY story and I will write anything I please. And I did post a warning, which my flamers must have ignored else they wouldn't have flamed me. So I do hope my readers will not tell me how to write my fanfictions. If my story is so detestable to you, feel free to not read it, and go write your own.  

Second of all, there's the subject of Kilala's name. Someone has "insisted" that I spell it Kirara instead. I actually thought a while on the spelling of this name. But the Japanese language really has no L or R in it at all, but some combination of the two, which makes both spellings incorrect. Therefore I went with the one I thought looked better written down. Again, if this displeases you, you can write your own story. 

And lastly, I've gotten a few reviews that consist of nothing but the word "UPDATE". I'm sorry to say, but content-less reviews like this make me not want to update. I guess I'm just not very good with following orders. But if you'd like to review and tell me what about my story makes you want me to update, I'm more inclined to listen. Thank you for suffering through my author's notes, and have a nice day. 

**

The Dragon's Tale

***

"What do you MEAN we can't come with you?" Kagome demanded, glowering at Sesshoumaru. "You'll probably just run off on your own and leave Inu-Yasha with… with whatever it is that got him!"

Sesshoumaru gave her a dark look from where he was 'stay'ed on the ground. "I am not going to leave him with that thing. And you can't come because I can cover more ground faster without having to wait for you slow humans." 

"He has a point," Sango said uneasily. "You know how fast he can move. He could get to Inu-Yasha before any of us even got started off."

"And with his sense of smell, he'd be able to find Inu-Yasha much easier, as well," said Miroku.

"What, you're on his side now?" Kagome asked. "Have you forgotten all this guy has tried to DO?"

"We're just saying, out of all the hopes for getting Inu-Yasha back from whatever caught him, Sesshoumaru is the best one we've got," said Sango. "And… I think he's getting kind of tired of laying face down in the dirt." 

Kagome glowered down at him, huffing slightly. "Alright. Heel." 

Sesshoumaru stood up, brushing the dirt off himself. And without a word to the humans, he started off through the trees.

"Where are you GOING?" Kagome yelled after him.

"To get my brother back." There was a slight rustle and a faint blur of motion, and Sesshoumaru was gone, taken off running faster than Kagome and the others could watch. 

"Well then," Kagome said grumpily, grabbing up her backpack and starting off on the trail. "Let's go."

"Go?" Miroku asked, as he and the others followed her through the woods. "Go where?"

"To get Inu-Yasha, of course," Kagome said. "I don't trust Sesshoumaru in the least, you think I'm going to trust Inu-Yasha's safety to his brother?"

"I don't really think we have much of a choice," Sango murmured softly. 

**

Mortals. Sesshoumaru didn't understand how most of them had enough sense in their head to stand upright. How dare Kagome just 'stay' him when he was actually trying to do something nice? They were lucky it was Inu-Yasha and not one of them that got carried off by that dragon; if it had been Kagome caught by the beast, Sesshoumaru certainly wouldn't be bothering with this late at night rescue. 

And the damned beast better not have hurt his little brother, either…

…because, naturally, that was _HIS_ right, as the older brother, Sesshoumaru assured himself when he started to wonder why he cared if the dragon had hurt Inu-Yasha or not.

The dragons trail was ridiculously easy to follow. Charred treetops and the stink of meat left out too long led Sesshoumaru straight to the mountains. The best seemed not to be present, but Sesshoumaru could smell Inu-Yasha nearby. 

That scent led him into a cave, obviously carved out of the mountain-side. It was dimly lit, but Sesshoumaru could see his brother in the back of the cave, locked in some cage that looked shaped by magic; bars growing right out of the rock. Inu-Yasha looked pissed, but unhurt. 

He perked up as Sesshoumaru neared, making a bunch of frantic gestures that Sesshoumaru couldn't understand. The elder brother just shook his head. "You get into more trouble than anyone I know," Sesshoumaru said ruefully, reaching out to break the bars. They were just stone; they should be easy.

Or so he thought, until the 'mere stone' burned his flesh to the touch. Sesshoumaru yanked his hand back, glaring at the stone bars. Upon closer examination, he found the bars to have holy symbols and wards carved all over the stone, warding all demons from touching them. Inu-Yasha made an exasperated noise, signing something briefly.

"That better not have been 'I told you so' you just signed," Sesshoumaru growled. He left the cave to find a nice boulder to use as a battering ram, returning inside and gesturing for Inu-Yasha to move to one side. "And you had _better_ appreciate this." With a solid blow, the bars shattered, leaving a big enough gap for Inu-Yasha to exit through. 

Inu-Yasha had barely stepped out of his former prison before the scent of the dragon warned them of the beast's returning. All light was blocked out of the cave as the dragon landed on the jutting ledge. Its orange eyes glowed in the dark, and the sounds of scales shifting and claws against the stone were the only indications of the creature moving about in the dark. 

"I thought perhaps there were two," the dragon murmured softly in the dark. "So good of you to come, saved me the trouble of fetching you." 

Glimpses of light pierced past the creature, and Inu-Yasha looked about wildly to see where his sword had ended up. At the moment, nothing would please him more than carving up the dragon's scaly hide. He finally did spot the sword- pinned neatly under the dragon's foot. 

Sesshoumaru briefly considered asking what the creature wanted with him and his brother, and then decided he didn't care. Even if the dragon's breath hadn't been particularly foul- and the beast had such a HUGE mouth to smell bad- Sesshoumaru really wasn't in the mood to talk to someone who'd recently kidnapped his brother. 

Though Sesshoumaru's attack was quick and deadly, the dragon had been expecting it. And though dragons were not skilled in that style of fighting… breathing a jet stream of fire at the two brothers effectively cut short the fight. Inu-Yasha's near-indestructible garments kept him from being char-broiled in an instant; Sesshoumaru didn't fare quite so well. He was knocked back, his clothing sustaining a few rather ugly burns in the process. He was lucky he was a demon; not much else could have escaped a barbecuing at such a close range. Obviously direct attack wasn't going to do it.  

"We'll just have to use something a little stronger than stone bars, this time…" the dragon mused. "It's been a long time since I've had a pretty demon boy to play with, much less two…" 

Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha glanced at each other. It would have been near impossible to take on the dragon alone, but perhaps together. 

True peace, Sesshoumaru decided as he and Inu-Yasha leapt into attack simultaneously, was having a partner who was your instinctive compliment. The dragon wheeled back in startled surprise as he discovered not only was his prey not as helpless as he'd hoped, but that they could fight together in perfect synchronization without a word being spoken between them. It was mostly a race of high-speed attacks, keeping out of the way of the dragon's claws and spurts of flame, searching for the weak point in the massive scaled body. 

After the initial surprise, however, the attacks were largely ineffective. If they were going to beat the beast, they'd be better off cleaving him in two immediately. Sesshoumaru glanced at his brother, only to find Inu-Yasha had already had the same idea. With Inu-Yasha on the left, and Sesshoumaru on the right, they attacked the front feet, their claws finding soft flesh under the scales and digging in. The dragon shrieked in pain, recoiling, and when it lifted up its front paws to back up, Sesshoumaru kicked the freed Tetsusaiga to his brother.

There was something beautiful about that fierce grin of Inu-Yasha's when he caught the hilt of his sword. Sesshoumaru allowed himself a moment to stand back and watch, as Inu-Yasha cleaved the dragon in two with malicious glee. And though he knew Inu-Yasha couldn't hear it, Sesshoumaru knew he'd have found the dying shriek of the beast immensely satisfying. 

Moonlight weakly lit the land as the two trudged out of the cave, bloody, somewhat charred, but rather pleased by a job well done. Sesshoumaru caught his brother watching them as they wandered down the path, and he gave Inu-Yasha a questioning look. Inu-Yasha started to sign something, then gave up when he noticed Sesshoumaru didn't understand any of it. So, to get his point across, he stepped forward and kissed Sesshoumaru, with the same softly accepting sweetness of their first.

Sesshoumaru smiled faintly as Inu-Yasha stepped back and continued down the path. That, he considered to be a well deserved "thank you." 


	11. Twin Snakes

Author's Note: Ha! And double ha! Bet most of you thought I'd abandoned this fic, huh? Nope, it just took a while to plan out this last chapter. Yep, you heard me; this is the last chapter of Hear No Evil. Thrilled much, aren't you?

Okay, and here's your only warning before I begin: **WARNING! **If the brief little kisses between brothers in the previous chapters made you feel ill, then you're REALLY not gonna like this chapter. 

**

Twin Snakes

**

_There was something very peaceful about sharing silence with someone,_ Inu-Yasha mused to himself as he and his brother walked aimlessly through the forest. It was late, and dark, and neither of them was very interested in running off back to Kagome and the others. It was sort of like… a silent revelry in their victory, something they didn't want to spoil by having anywhere to go or anything to do right away. They'd catch up with the group in the morning. 

Sesshoumaru had been a continuously intriguing puzzle this whole trip. And since Inu-Yasha hadn't really had much else to do, he'd spent a long time thinking about the odd relationship that was developing between the two of them. 

He didn't really know how it had started, to be honest. Their apparent hatred of each other. Inu-Yasha couldn't quite remember the reason he and Sesshoumaru had become rivals, fighting over… what, a sword? Their father? Any excuse they could come up with to try and tear each other apart? After these last few weeks together, all of that had ceased to matter.

And Inu-Yasha rather liked it this way. It was… nice, having Sesshoumaru around. Fighting alongside him rather than against him. Was that the way it was always meant to be, and they were just now figuring it out? How powerful they could be together! Unstoppable, and… happy. Together. 

Inu-Yasha was beginning to wonder if he wanted his hearing back. That was really what had started all of this. Was that the trade-off? Sacrificing his hearing to have Sesshoumaru near him? 

But, never mind all that now. It was late, and he wanted to sleep and not bother with worrying about anything until the morning. Nothing he could do about it now, so why waste time on it?

Sesshoumaru grinned at Inu-Yasha in the dark, pointing out a nice high tree with thick branches to make camp in for the night. The thick foliage blocked the light of the moon, and the two silently snuggled up together on one of the thickest branches. Another thing beautiful about absolute silence; it had a way of making them feel like they were the only two people in the world.

**

"Hey!"

Sesshoumaru frowned, sleepily opening his eyes to find it was well into mid-morning. Sunlight streamed through the leaves, causing all the plants to nearly glow dazzling emerald. Someone on the ground was yelling up at him. 

He peered down through the branches. Kagome was standing on the ground, glaring up at them. Sango, Shippô and Miroku didn't look too happy either, but in their case, they didn't look like they'd gotten a good night's rest. They'd probably spent all night traveling to find Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru. Little Jaken was down there with them as well, hopping around and shouting nonsense. In his hurry to come after Inu-Yasha, Sesshoumaru had left his own minion behind.

"Well?" Kagome demanded. "Are you coming down?"

The answer to that of course was, no, he wasn't coming down. But if he said that aloud, she'd probably 'stay' him. So he just ignored her, lightly shaking Inu-Yasha awake, and pointing to the ground to indicate where his companions were. Judging from Inu-Yasha's soft groan, he wasn't too interested in getting down either.

But Kagome looked like she was just _waiting _for an excuse to 'sit' and 'stay' them, so after delaying as long as they dared, they came down, ready to continue on their journey. No one seemed terribly interested in talking though, so Sesshoumaru was spared having to explain about the whole slaying-the-dragon deal. Inu-Yasha was safe now, and that's all that really mattered anyway. 

And so they walked in silence around the edge of the mountain for a while. Though, not perfect silence; somewhere in the distance, there was something _hissing_. Rather loudly, as they approached it. At first they couldn't tell what it was. All they saw were the trees, the mountain, and the odd green path meandering up one side of the mountain.

"There's something odd about that path…" Miroku finally broke the silence, peering at the side of the mountain. 

"It kind of glimmers," Sango pointed out, pausing to look as well. "And… it's moving!" 

The path, it turned out, was actually hundreds of brightly colored snakes, slithering up the mountainside. The serpents didn't pay any attention to the group as they approached.

"There's a million of them!" Kagome said in disgust, peering at the serpentine river. "Yuck!"

"But where are they going?" Shippô asked.

"There." Sesshoumaru pointed farther up the mountain, where hundreds more of the reptiles framed a cave opening in a glistening arch of scaly bodies. Sesshoumaru smiled in satisfaction, walking alongside the snake path, up the mountain. Inu-Yasha was quick to follow him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kagome demanded.

"Do you have any better guess at where a pair of _snake demons_ might live?" Sesshoumaru called back to her coldly.

Kagome blinked, glowering down at the path of snakes, and kicking away a little green snake that had separated from the group to slither over her shoe. Snakes were such unpleasant, nasty things. But… if this was the snake demons' lair, it certainly seemed like they'd laid out the welcome mat. So, detestable as the little snake guides were, the group followed them up to the cave.

It was dark inside, but happily, snake-free. There didn't seem to be any snake demons around either, however.

"Guess nobody's home…" Miroku muttered.

"Then what's with all the mist all of a sudden?" Sango pointed down at their feet. Indeed, the ground was suddenly covered in a light blanket of smoke. 

"Seems we have visitors…" a soft voice murmured in the darkness, sounding amused. "Many of them. How shall we play with them, Yang?" 

"Slowly," replied another voice, sounding wistful. "It's been 'such' a long time since we've had visitors."

The first voice laughed. "Might be something to do with your river of snakes out front. Obvious much?" 

"Um, excuse me," Kagome called out. "If you don't mind, if you two are the twin snake demons, we sort of need to talk to you."

"Hear that, Ying? She needs to talk to us. Try to be polite."

"Alright, fine, I'll be polite. And _then_ I'll eat her." 

"It is _not_ polite to barbecue someone alive, you know."

"Well not on the first date, anyway." A figure stepped out of the darkness, a pale man with long black hair, and brightly gleaming serpentine eyes. There was a golden stripe over one eye, and a large patch of snake scales growing on the other side of his face. "Come all the way here looking for us, have you? How entertaining…" 

A second man stepped out of the dark, identical to the first, though this one was smiling more kindly. "Don't mind Ying. Something of a mean streak in him. You understand. I'm Yang. And I guess we're the twin snake demons you were looking for, since I don't happen to know any others. So, how can we help you?"

Kagome took a breath, stepping forward. "W-well, you see… we heard this legend about you two, and it said that if two brothers were to defeat the two of you in battle, you would grant them a wish."

Ying and Yang stared at her blankly. "Do you remember anything like that?" Yang asked Ying.

"I dunno…" Ying frowned, folding his arms and looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Sounds like something we'd say. If we were drunk." 

"We don't get drunk, remember?" Yang scratched behind his slightly pointed ear as he thought. "Maybe we were bored." 

Ying nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that sounds right. We were probably bored. Sorry folks, but that deal's expired." 

Sesshoumaru growled, grabbing Ying by the collar of his shirt and hauling him up off the ground. "We came all this way to play your stupid game, and now you're telling us _no_?"

"Heyyyy!" Ying whined, kicking his feet almost helplessly. He glowered at Sesshoumaru. "Let me guess; you're the older brother, right?" 

"You will fight us regardless," Sesshoumaru informed him. "The only difference is, if you're not granting wishes, there's no reason to leave you _alive_…" 

"Aw, come on, Ying," Yang said. "It's not like we were gonna do anything else today. And it might be fun."

"Alright…" Ying finally agreed, still glaring at Sesshoumaru. "If _dog-breath_ here will put me down!" 

"That's better…" Sesshoumaru tossed Ying back at Yang, the two snake demons ending up in a heap. 

"Okay, here's the deal," Ying announced, standing up and dusting himself off. He produced a roll of parchment from thin air, reading it aloud. "We (the mighty, all powerful, and handsome twin snake demons Ying and Yang) will grant you (the annoying, pushy, poorly mannered- though pretty- warriors who smell of dog) one wish each should you managed to defeat us in battle. Please sign here at the bottom." He presented the parchment and two pens to Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha. 

"One wish _each_?" Kagome asked. 

"Well, yeah…" Yang said. "Two of us, two of them, two wishes. To make it fair, you know."

That made Kagome nervous. She knew what Inu-Yasha was going to wish for, but Sesshoumaru? Considering the way he'd been treated on the trip, he'd probably wish for something awful. Like Miroku, Sango, and Kagome's head on a plate. 

Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru finished reading over and signing the contract, passing it back to the snake demons. Ying looked it over with satisfaction, then rolled it up and made it disappear. 

"Alright then," Ying announced cheerfully. "Let us begin." 

Ying and Yang each drew long, thin and wicked looking swords from out of nowhere, attacking Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha immediately. Kagome and the others scrambled out of the way as the battle started, taking cover behind a boulder by the entrance to watch the fighting. 

The snake demons were good; they were fast, and had an annoying habit of disappearing into the fog that was swirling up within the cave. That became the problem, as Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha clashed with the twins; the smoke inhibited sight, and that combined with Inu-Yasha's deafness made it difficult for him to fight. 

This wasn't working. Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of Inu-Yasha stumbling as Yang attacked him. The twins had separated Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha, and were using the smoke and their speed to confuse them. This was there territory, and they had the advantage. 

And so the only way to beat them was to use this smoke against them. Sesshoumaru grabbed Inu-Yasha's arm, dragging him deeper into the thick fog. Inu-Yasha glanced at his brother, surprised. They waited there in the dark, and Sesshoumaru listened for the twins. If the smoke could obscure their position, and bring the twins to _them_…

There was only the slightest noise of warning. Sesshoumaru had only a second to point out where the enemy would be attacking from, before Ying and Yang leapt through the fog, swords raised, to attack.

And they stumbled back, surprised, as they were impaled on Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha's swords.

Immediately the fog dissipated. Ying and Yang looked down at the swords protruding from their stomachs.

"Owww…" Ying muttered, gingerly removing the weapon. "Not _fair_… I thought we had you, there…"

Yang was having a harder time removing Inu-Yasha's sword from his belly. As a demon, it hurt him too much to grip the handle. "Er, a little help?" 

Sesshoumaru gestured to Inu-Yasha, who pulled the Tetsusaiga free, going about cleaning the blood off of it.

"So… why aren't you two dead?" Sango asked, moving out from behind the boulder. 

"Silly girl, haven't you heard snakes are immortal?" Ying said sweetly.

"That's just a myth," Sango muttered, but didn't press the issue. 

"Alright then," Sesshoumaru muttered. "So now what?"

Ying and Yang looked at him, then moved together to whisper to each other. Finally they nodded decisively.

"Okay, you come with me," Ying told Sesshoumaru, "and your brother goes with Yang. Might as well get this whole wish granting thing over with."

Without waiting for Kagome to translate that for Inu-Yasha, Sesshoumaru gestured for Inu-Yasha to go with Yang, and then he followed Ying deeper into the cave.

"So, you can grant _any_ wish?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Well, pretty much…" Ying muttered, sitting down on a rock once they were away from the others. "We're pretty special like that. Your brother's cute, you know that?"

Sesshoumaru gave him a _no-touching_ sort of glare. "Yes. I know." 

"So, go ahead. What is it you want?"

Sesshoumaru blinked. He hadn't really thought of that. He could wish for anything? He could have his arm fixed, or finally get possession of Tetsusaiga. Or kill those damned annoying humans that dragged him along on this trip!

But thinking about it, he really didn't care much about any of those things anymore. He'd been under the impression that they were only going to have one wish, and that was for Inu-Yasha to use… he hadn't really considered what he himself wanted.

"I suppose… I just want Inu-Yasha to have his hearing restored," Sesshoumaru finally answered. He smiled at that. Yeah, that was good. That was what mattered the most at the moment. 

Ying blinked at him. "That's it? That's what you weirdoes came all the way here for? Damn it, that's _easy_. Coulda just told us that in the beginning, we would have done it for free." He snapped his fingers, winked at Sesshoumaru, and vanished. 

Sesshoumaru blinked, then headed back for the main part of the cave. And he thought _humans_ were annoying. Some demons could be so much more annoying than any mortal…

When he returned to the main cavern, Inu-Yasha was just coming out from another section of the cave. 

"Well, did it work?" Kagome demanded. "Are you all better now?"

Unfortunately, Sango, Miroku, and Shippô had all begun asking the same thing at the same time, and were making a fine loud racket of it too. Inu-Yasha winced, rubbing at his ears.

"Can you guys not be so _loud_?" Inu-Yasha asked. 

**

And so, that was that. Inu-Yasha irritably brushed off all Kagome's eager displays of relieved affection, and the group of them headed back outside into the sunshine. The snake path was gone, and everything looked bright and cheerful.

"Well, guess you can go now, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said. 

"You're forgetting something," Sesshoumaru replied, tugging at the string of magic beads she'd put on him. She'd promised to remove them once the trip was over.

"Oh, right!" Kagome quickly removed those, smiling at him. "There, all better. No hard feelings?"

"Not quite." Sesshoumaru's hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground. "I do _not_ appreciate your methods of asking someone for their assistance."

Inu-Yasha lightly touched Sesshoumaru's arm. Sesshoumaru looked at his younger brother, shot Kagome another irritated glare, and dropped her. Kagome landed in a heap on the ground, rubbing her throat and coughing.  Without a word to any of them, Sesshoumaru turned and walked away into the forest.

"Good riddance," Miroku muttered. 

Inu-Yasha watched his brother go, then turned to his companions. "I'll be right back." He hurried after Sesshoumaru. 

He caught up with his brother in a pleasantly secluded part of the woods. "Hey, wait a second. I wanted to thank you." 

Sesshoumaru paused, blinking at his brother. "For what?"

Inu-Yasha smirked. "Wishing for my hearing to come back."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that's what I wished for?"

"Because I can hear again," Inu-Yasha said with a smile. "And _I_ didn't wish for it. So… you must have. Why did you do that, anyway? You could have had anything you wanted."

Sesshoumaru thought about that. "Well, I suppose the best way to explain it would be…" He lapsed into silence, beginning to use the sign language they'd all recently abandoned. He pointed to himself to indicate _'I'_, crossed his arms over his chest in the sign for _'love'_, and pointed to Inu-Yasha for _'you'_. 

Inu-Yasha grinned at him. He didn't say anything in reply, but there were many kinds of sign language, and the loving kiss he gave Sesshoumaru then really said it all. 

Sesshoumaru smirked at Inu-Yasha when at last they ended the sweet kiss. "I hope your companions aren't expecting you back for a while."

"Oh?" Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow, smirking at his brother. "Why is that?"

Sesshoumaru brushed another soft kiss over Inu-Yasha's lips, his hands deftly working on removing his little brother's garments. "Because I have a special sort of brotherly bonding in mind." 

"Oh really?" Inu-Yasha grinned, helping Sesshoumaru spread their clothing out on the ground, and then pulling his big brother down to lay with him on top of them. "Do tell…" 

From the bushes, the little toady Jaken watched the scene with his little bug-eyes, looking horrified. Pushing down his queasy feeling, and hoping neither his master nor his master's brother would notice him, he quickly ran off, back to Kagome and the others. "Master Sesshoumaru-sama and his brother are doing something _nasty_ together!" he announced to them.

"Oh dear…" Kagome murmured, her eyes scanning over the woods as she hefted up her backpack. "Maybe we should go after them!"

Sango touched Kagome's shoulder, holding her back. "Actually… I rather think the two of them can take care of themselves. I, er… rather doubt we'd want to witness what they're up to." 

**

Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru returned to the group quite some time later. Both boys looked flushed, their hair in disarray, their clothing rumpled. And they both looked intensely pleased with themselves. Kagome decided she probably _didn't_ want to know what they'd been up to. 

"So, what shall we do now?" Miroku asked as they began walking, with no particular destination in mind. 

"Ooh, I know what we could do!" Shippô announced. He dug through all his little tricks and games, before pulling out the shiny silver dog whistle. 

Inu-Yasha snarled at the sight of the object, glancing at Sesshoumaru. "Kill him?"

Sesshoumaru smirked evilly. "Oh yeah." 

Shippô shrieked as the two brothers lunged at him, and the little kitsune took off running, wailing, with Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru chasing after close behind. 

***

The End! 

Last but not least, the disclaimer. I do not own the show Inu-Yasha, or any of the copyrighted characters from it. I do however own the demons Kegan, Ion, Ying and Yang, and the dragon. They're mine. And can be seen happily cavorting about on my website!

Happy New Year, everybody!     


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